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Tuesday, May 5, 2009

Secular Progressives Misjudge Social Conservatives Again

Remember when news first broke that Sarah Palin's unwed daughter was pregnant. For a few hours, the MSM was endlessly speculating about just how and when Sarah Palin would be unceremoniously removed from the ticket. After all, once the socially conservative base found out about her unwed daughter why they would have to reject her as an affront to everything they believed in. Those were an interesting couple of hours. The secular progressive base thought they were all just so brilliant. Then, James Dobson along with several other social conservative leader spoke and it was made clear that this would in no way drive a wedge between the group and Palin, and the secular progressive media once again showed just how little they know about anything but their own bubble.

Social conservatives don't expect people to be perfect. They merely expect people to strive to be perfect. They don't expect people not to make mistakes and commit sin, but rather, they expect them to try and not commit sin. As such, they will forgive even those whose daughters got pregnant out of wedlock. That's really the difference between secular progressives and social conservatives. Both understand that humans are inherently imperfect. One believes this is a license to excuse all behavior. The other still demands that people strive for a set standard of behavior. One forgives human failings. The other sees human failings as an inherent hypocrisy.

That's what we have with the latest chapter in the saga surrounding Carrie Prejean. Someone leaked this fairly racy photo of her modeling lingerie. I can only assume that someone thinks that because she was once photographed half naked that this means she is somehow hypocritical to believe that marriage should only be between one man and one woman. Of course, if that were the case, most of her screen time during the pageant itself would have already made her a hypocrite.

Really, this is a way for some to continue to try and shame and embarrass her because she dared to voice an opinion on national television that was different than theirs. The reality is that she has become a spokesperson for traditional marriage, through the National Organization for Marriage, for two reasons. The first is that those folks thought she was gutsy and courageous to speak her mind knowing that her answer would likely cost her a shot at Miss USA. The second is that the publicity generated meant that she could now be a recognized face for traditional marriage. On the second point, that has been entirely created by her own opponents. Had Perez Hilton merely given her all zeros following her answer and said nothing else, she would just have lost the pageant and been done as a celebrity. Instead, he made a well publicized vlog in which he attacked her personally, and this was followed by several more attacks by pro gay marriage folks including members of the Miss California brass. It was in fact her own opponents that have raised her profile so that she is in a position to be a spokesperson for traditional marriage.

Here's the reality. The other side could discover that Ms. Prejean once did porn and it still wouldn't mean that she was hypocritical in saying she believed marriage is between one man and one woman. It's never hypocritical to say what you believe. You need not be a saint to speak your mind. Furthermore, they can continue on this ruthless attack to destroy her character and embarrass her nationally and internationally, and at best, it won't move the debate at all. At worst, it will make people more sympathetic to the other side. The only thing it will possibly accomplish is to humiliate Carrie Prejean, and maybe, that is the agenda of all those that are doing it. If so, that says plenty about their character.

The article reads well, and it all sounds very plausible. However, that doesn't make it true.

The truth is that social conservatives demonstrated that they aren't above double standards. A liberal would have been excoriated by Dobson et al for running for a high office with a teenager who was pregnant with an out of wedlock child. Essay after essay would have penned about the obvious results of a liberal upbringing. When it happens to a social conservative, shoulders are shrugged and "It happens." is solemnly declared.

Who said anything about superior. It's not out of touch to stand up for what you believe. Social Conservatives believe in traditional values and they stand up for those values. If that's out of touch, so be it, but they aren't changing.